Tank closure



Dec. 4 1923. 1,476,566

4 =A. M. YocoM TANK GLOSURE Filed Nov. '7, 1922 z'sheets-sheet 1- Vl 4 .HV1 i any. a.

atto: nu#

A. M. YOCOM TANK CLOSURE Dec. 4 1923.

Filed NOV. '7, 1922 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 iqliatented Dec. 4, 1923. j

11151111511) STATES4 ALvIN M. YoCoM, or POTTSTQWNQPENNSYLVANLA.

TANK oLos'UnE. f

Application med Novembef 7, 1922; serial No. 599,528.-

To 'all whom t may icoa'iaem:A j Be .it known that I, ALVIN YocoM,

Ya citizen of the United States, residing at` Pottstown, in the county of Montgomery and State of Pennsylvania, have invented,

new and useful Improvements in Tank Closures, of whihthe following is a specification.

My invention relates to closures for liquid receptacles, and. is designed more particularly as an improvedclosure fo-r gasolene y tanks of automobiles, although, obviously, not limited to such use.

Its object is Vto provide a closurel or cap for such tanks, which `'will be more convenient to apply and remove than the caps in common use and which will have several additional functions besides that of merely closing the filling aperture, as 4hereinafter set forth. l j

One of the features of my improved cap is the vconstruction whereby it is quickly applied and removed; another is ,that it is locked against accidentalremoval; another is that it also serves as a gage to indicate the amount of liquid in the tank, and still another is that it is so constructed that it constitutes a suction pump for withdrawing small amounts of liquid. In connection with the cap construction I preferably make use of a spring-actuated flap for automatically closing the filling aperture of the tank when the cap is removed.

The advantages of thi device will be ap* l parent: from the accompanying drawing,

showing two forms of the invention and in which, j

Fig. 1 is v receptacle equipped with one"form of the cap, Shown in elevation.; f Fig. 2 is a vertical section on line 2;-'2 of-Fig; 1, through the cap and on a larger scaleg', .Y 'Y Fig. 3 isva horizontal section taken `on line 3 8, of Fig. 2, looking upwardly;

Fig. 4' is a partial elevation and partial section through a slightly modified construction of the cap securing means; l

Figi 5 is a plan view of Aa modified Vforni of the invention, and. 6 is a vertical section of the same.

alvertical section through a liquidV Describin theseliviews indetail, 1 repre- I f sents a liquid receptacle, for example, the gasoline tank of an automobile,V provided with the usual filling aperture in its top, in

which aperture is secured 'fthe nipple 2,

screw-threaded to; receive the bushingf This bushing hasa horizontal fiange 4, which 1 rests Qnthe nipple or tank wall and is proi vided with serrations or teeth 5 on its upper face, as in Figs.A 1 to 4, or on its edge, as in4 Fig. 6. The bushing has an upwardly extending part or neck 6, from the' top of which project twoy diametricallylopposite Y segmental flange sections 7 the underside faces of which are slightly oblique or inclined Vto constitute cam surfaces, as indi- In the .form of cap shown fin Figs. 1 to 3, these flange segments). -7 extend inwardly from the neck 6, whilein the forms of Figs.

vcated by the dotted lines 8 inrFigs. 2 and 6.

4 and 6, they extend outwardly. In Fig. 4 u also, the nipple is shown as threaded eX- ternally and the bushing as threaded internally. In the form of Fig. 6, the nipple '2 is shown as integral with the tank. The

closurevconsists of the cap member proper 10,v the under face ofwhich rests' onl the. upper face of the segments 7, andwhich has.V

a .central hexagonal upwardly* projecting hub 11, and a downwardly projecting hub 12, bored out cylindrically from the under' side to receive thecylinder 13. Said cylin'- der contains a piston14, inthe .form of;

A 15 of which passes through an open# i .ing in the top ofthe hub.11 and has at- Fig. 2 or a fioat 34 in the form of Fig.` 6, the rod tached to its upper end a knurled nut ,16,

in the form of Fig-2, by which the piston canl be manipulated.4 IIn said `hole in the hub 11, and surroundingsaid'rod 15,v is slidl ably mountedthe 'sleeve17., flanged at eachl end and lsurrounded, within the cylinder by a coil spring A18, one end oftwhich bears against theunder face yof the hub 11 and the other end Vagainst a washer 19, supported by the flange on the lower end of said 'sleeve 17. Fitted on thev hexagonal hub 11 and passedV beneath the flange on the upperend of said sleeve 17, isf'a cup 20, the. down-f wardly extending ange 21 of which has serrations or teeth 22 on its/edge, adapted loo n lto engage vvith the teeth on the flange 4 ofH usedV asa the bushing 3, thus locking the cap against accidental rotation. Surrounding the central hexagonal `portion of said capand ses' cured thereto, as byY spot Welding at 23, is the handle member 214, suitablyl shaped,as at 25, to form aconvenient grip.l Theunderside of the cap Vl0 carries segments 30, the upper inclined faceslof Whichr engage Vthe inclined faces of 'the cam segments`7' to secure the cap in place. The segments 3Q,

extend outwardly from a neck 31 in the Vform of Figs. 1 to'3,' fand yinwardly from a fiange 32 in the forms of Figs, 4 and: 6.2 A 'flap'fva'lve '26, to close the filling aperture Whenthe .cap is removed,-' is, or may be, provided, and is shown as pivoteidat '27 to'thelower end of' the bushing 3 orf nipple 2, and as pressed to closing position by a spring` 28. The outside of the Vcylinder 133is preferably graduated, as in-V dicatedat 33v in Fig. 1, to ser-ve as fa depth gage, but, lin the form'of Fig. 6, Vthe float rod end of thecylinder is provided with a small openinlg 29 to admit the liquid to the cylin n the Vform o'fLFig. 6, the float '34,

der.y which' fits loosely in the cylinder, is raised by thefliquid entering the latterV through saidopening 29, the graduationson the rod indicating the level or yamount of the liquid inthe tank. VAs itis not desirable that the rod Yshould Yalways bein raised position, means are provided Von the cap handle 24, 25, to hold said rod depressed except'when it is gage. This means, consists, as shown, of a slide 35, slotted to. engage rivets 36, mounted inthe handleffiange 25, and

having aV centralY depressed inclined portion 37, provided .with an opening 38 through Which the rod 15 canrise. Itvvvill be obvious that the. details of mechanical structure may be s' varied somewhat, Without departingl from the spirit of my invention; for instance mutilated "screw-threads Yof 'the breech-block type Would be the equivalent of the segmen# tal Ycam flanges 7 and'30.v i

The niode lows: y y

The capbeing inthe position of closure illustrated, to remove it the,- operator pulls Y lupwardly on thelhandle'21, 25, thereby 4raisfy i eo ing the locking cup 2O against the pressure i of the'spring 18,lthehexagonal' central por# tion ofsaid Vcup sliding on the hexagonal hub 11 ofthe cap 310.4 This releases .the teeth 2 2Y onsaid cup yfrom engagement with the teethr 5'on the fianget of the bushing; The cap f is noivl given -a quarter turn to the left, Which brings the cam segmentsthereon into the spacesbetvveen the cam segments 7, Whereupon'the cap can/'be lifted ofi' the filling aperture, which is at once closed bythe fiap valve 26. The scale 3:3V onj the 'cylindenor on the 15 is graduated instead. The lower] of use of the ldevice is as Ol-i f Y to, anda springresisting*said longitudinal] float rod, will indicare'fhe ameuiit Orfiiqu'i'dl finger nut 16, before the cap is removed or,

the float, after having been allowed to rise br moving ther-Slide terrine the Opening 38 over the rod 15, is then `depressed Vagain So.V thatthe taper end oro said rodY closes'the opening 29 in the ,bottom of the cylinder 13, thereby trapping some? of the liquid in saidY cylinder, Yfrom Whichit can bef-ejectedas Y .Y

desired.

Havinghus described myinventiomvvhat IFA 'tankclosu're, comprising Va bushing secured iny the aperture of the Vand having segmental cam projections :there- Y on, a'caplhaving conjugateY segmental pro"-v Jeetions thereon, vvher'ebythe capcan be re.-V

leasedl Vfrom the vtank by a partialrtation,

lockingv :teeth on Y said' bushing, a looking member, carriedfbyA said capland capablemof` a limited vertical movement relative ,there-V to tobe engaged With'ordisengagedfrom and means'v to vraise said locking 4member against said sprina said cap and finally lift it oil".v

around the filling aperture thereof, a 'cap ,0' .and Ito thereafter.l turnV 95T 2. A closure forl liquidi'receptacles,A com-YV 'prising an interrupted inclined Vasurlface said teeth, a spring" to resist saidj'movem'e'.nts,V

having' a conjugate interrupted'inc'lined sur Y face, spring-pressed 'lockingmeans on :saidcap to prevent'its accidental rotation, and, a handle yieldingly connected to said capY to dise'ngage saidsuriiaces.

3. A closure for liquid receptacles, com! prising an interrupted cam surface 'around fthe filling Aaperture thereof, a cap havingfa conjugate interrupted cam` surface, ,springipressed locking means on said cap *to pref vent its accidental rotation, a handle secured to said locking means andY` nonrotatably v'1.'10 mounted onV said cap but capablev of a lim.-V

ted longitudinal movement relatively there;Y p'

movement. f v

1 A closureforgasoline tanks of autornof, gbiles, comprisinga cap having a mutilated cam surface connection vvithl vsaid tank around the -filling aperturethereof, a'locking'" i 1 member Vslidiably mountedy on lsaid"cap,`fa

handle secured to said locking'. member, andV iso Y a spring resisting the said slidable movement,A`

of said locking member and handle.

5. A closure for gasoline tanks of automof i biles, 'comprising a cap hav-ing'a mutilated aperture thereof 'and a edge with looking means to prevent acoa handle secured to said cup, whereby the dental rotation thereof, a sleeve passed latter is first raised to release said locking through a central hole in said hub and havmeans7 whereafter the cap can be rotated t0 10 ing flanges on its ends, the upper one of dsengage said cam surfaces.

which rests on the Center 0f Said Cup,v a. In testimony whereof I have hereunto set spring between the lower flange of sad my hand sleeve and the under face of said hub, and ALVN M. YOCOM. 

